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Cooking 101: How To Beat Kitchen Stress And Cook The Best Meals Of Your Life

Do you grimace and roll your eyes when you hear someone say that they find cooking 'therapeutic'? Or maybe that they find it 'enjoyable' or 'calming'? For many people, cooking can indeed be a way to help them relax and chill out after a long day. But for others, it can be quite the opposite situation. Kitchens can be hot, they can be messy and for some of us, it all makes for a pretty stressful situation. If this sounds like you, you may think that there's nothing anyone could do to get you to fall in love with cooking. But actually, there are a lot of simple steps you can take to making your cooking experience a more pleasant one - and it can help you get healthier in the process too.

Image sourceOrganise your produce Falling at the first hurdle is the first thing that's going to put you off cooking for life. When you buy ingredients for the week, think about where you are going to store them. Having to empty your whole fridge just to find the one pepper you want is a real pain, so having some kind of system can only be beneficial. For example, you may want to keep green produce such as lettuce and salad in one fridge drawer, and have peppers and tomatoes in the other. This way, you will know where to go straight away to look for something. Investing in reusable produce bags can also be a great way to store your vegetables and to make sure that they stay fresher for longer as well. Using a timer In most other parts of our lives, we don't look upon timers or alarms that favourably. They either mean it's time to get out of bed, or they let you know when you're running out of time in an exam. But your kitchen timer, on the other hand, could well be your new best friend. If you have multiple pans on the go, even the best chefs can find it difficult to keep on top of everything. There's nothing more disappointing than spending ages cooking a meal, only to serve it and find that some parts of it are over/under cooked. Using a couple of timers can help keep your cooking schedule in check, and can help ensure that you serve something delicious at the end of it all.

Image sourceGetting the right equipment Just as with any skill - sport, painting, or dressmaking - if you don't have the right equipment, you can't be expected to get very far. There are a few must-have items that even the most amateur of cooks needs to have in their kitchen. If you choose to invest in them, you're likely to notice a difference in the quality of your food right away. A good set of knives is essential and will save you a lot of time. Having a good variety of pans is also helpful as you can use them for different things, and a non-slip chopping board will help you stay safe and protect your surfaces too.